Movies News Talk
With an equally sinister background and power in the Star Wars galaxy,dark and menacing castle on the planet Mustafar was the stronghold of Darth Vader. No site in the Star Wars galaxy is more terrifying or threatening than Darth Vader's castle on the planet Mustafar. Originally hinted to in Star Wars Rebels, Darker Vader's castle makes its live-action premiere in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Appearing in everything from comics to virtual reality games, it's proven to be among the most intriguing fresh sites in Star Wars. Though it may have been seen on TV several times, the origins of Vader's castle are really found in the Charles Soule and Giuseppe Camuncoli comic book series (2017).
Soon after the events of Revenge of the Sith, Darth Vader was assigned to complete vital training since he was formally a Sith Lord. Among other things, this involved locating and killing a Jedi master, taking his lightsaber as own. As custom for the Sith, Vader flowing all of his sorrow, wrath, and guilt into the lightsaber's living kyber crystal created a real Sith lightsaber. Palpatine advised Vader to accomplish this on Mustafar, a planet abundant in dark side of the Force. Unaware his new apprentice would soon fall in battle with Obi-Wan Kenobi there, this vergence most likely was the reason Palpatine had the Separatists taken to Mustafar before ordering Vader to execute them. After more meditations on Mustafar, Vader was persuaded the vergence was indeed strong and imagined of utilizing its power to restore Padmé. Originally offering Vader places like Naboo or Tatooine to name his home, Darth Sidious insisted on (and received) the planet Mustafar.
Constructing his stronghold, Darth Vader drew on the spirit of the ancient Sithic known as Darth Momin. Built atop the Mustafar vergence itself, it sought to channel and concentrate its force in an effort to revive Padmé. While it took nine separate tries at building the ideal Sith fortress allowing Vader to try this dark task, his castle was finally finished following an inevitable betrayal by Momin, who sought personal benefit from the fortress. Defeating Momin, Darth Vader made an attempt—but failed—to retrieve his Padmé.
Still where Darth Vader was most potent was Fortress Vader. Granted, it was also where he could be most vulnerable. With medical facilities and a big tank full of healing bacta, the Dark Lord was able to remove his helmet, armor, and life-support systems to momentarily mend his wounded body and tissue. With breathing apparatuses reflecting the Dark Lord himself, Vader's attendant Vaneé watched after the fortification while he was gone serving his master and guarded by a personal garrison of black-armored Lava Troopers.
Though Fortress Vader debuted in Rogue One, the castle has also appeared in earlier Star Wars projects. Apart from the books and comics, Fortress Vader most lately appeared in Obi-Wan Kenobi. Originally hanging in his bacta tank, Vader put on his cybernetics and armor before getting a report from the Inquisitor Third Sister, offering a glimpse of the royal hall. Included among various diverse views in 2021's Star Wars Biomes published on Disney+ was Fortress Vader, a short film showcasing the castle and the surrounding lava-covered area.
Set inside Fortress Vader, the canonical VR experience Vader Immortal revealed even more secrets like the fact that Vader's castle was not only built atop a locus of dark side energy but also an ancient fortress belonging to Lady Corvax, a Force-sensitive who's actions turned Mustafar into its present hellscape, rather than the world lush with life it was centuries before. Kylo Ren and the First Order also paid brief visits to Mustafar and the remnants of Fortress Vader at the start of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.
Mustafar still felt the legacy of Darth Vader long after his death in Return of the Jedi. While the New Republic Era brought about the fall of Fortress Vader, Kylo Ren visited the planet just after ascending Supreme Leader of the First Order. Kylo battled multiple Mustafarians to retrieve the Sith Wayfinder leading him to the secret Sith realm of Exegol and Darth Sidious, idolizing his grandfather's depravity like Darth Vader and dismissing his salvation as Anakin Skywalker. As the comics show, this was the same Wayfinder Vader discovered on Mustafar decades before.
Over the Star Wars chronology, Mustafar's Fortress Vader has a rich and sinister legacy spanning many years. With fresh tales revealing as many more secrets about the castle, such the presently continuing comic where the Knights of Ren stormed into the castle and battled with Vader in between episodes of the original trilogy. It is without a doubt a structure as sinister and terrible as the terrible Lord of the Sith personally.